Cannon Ship Chaos
by DareDreamer
Summary: As the first Portal Master lair comes under siege, a squadron led by Stormblade and Cynder commences an assault on a Cannon Ship of Doom before it can destroy the evacuees' ship. Part of my "War for Skylands" series.


The evacuation was going swiftly.

Transport ships lifted from the ground and rocketed towards the blue and white capital ship in the sky. Imaginators rushed back and forth, gathering whatever they could before boarding the ships. A Bazooker, followed by a purple undead dragon in armor forged from cursed steel, emerged from underground.

"We're not finished yet!" the Bazooker shouted over the whining rise of engines. "The lair still has a bunch of scrolls and weapons down there!" Cynder whirled around with a stern look on her face. "Forget them! We don't have time to get them all on board! They're gonna be here any second now!" she roared back. A distant boom, like an explosion, echoed in the distance of the blue horizon. Everyone slowly looked up as two more booms followed. "Oh no." Cynder whispered.

Kaos' forces had arrived.

On the bridge of the capital ship _Conqueror_ , a troll punched the air in success. "Yes! See, whadda I tell ya, boss man? They're not even close to being ready! Scouts proved themselves worthy for once!" The ship's commander, hooded and wearing a black robe with red symbols, turned to the troll. "I have my orders from Lord Kaos himself." He announced in a malevolent tone. "This is one of many Portal Master lairs scattered all throughout Skylands. After this one, we shall seek out the rest of them, and make sure nothing is left." The figure turned to a Drow near a console. "Contact our artillery. Tell them to warm up their guns." "Yes sir." The Drow responded before speaking through a transmitter. " _Obliterator_ , you are cleared for entry."

The _Obliterator,_ a mighty Cannon Ship of Doom, responded by exiting its transport portal with a loud boom, its battle stations alarm blaring. Its side and bottom guns slowly rotated to target the lair, which rested underground in a small village. A low hum came into earshot, indicating the charge up. Soon, the base would be nothing but ashes.

"Sir!" The figure turned to another Drow. "Enemy ship on scanners. Guns and shields in attack position. It appears to be… a single light fighter?" He turned to the figure with a puzzled expression. "Well, what are you waiting for?" The figure heard the _Obliterator's_ commander order to his gunners. "Blow him out of the sky."

As the Jet Stream zoomed closer to the armada, its brass wings glinting in the sunlight, Jet-Vac couldn't help but think of how stupid this plan was. Get close to the Cannon Ship, take out its anti-air guns, then fall back to the _Eon's Might._ Within less than ten seconds, he would be overrun by the guns, along with any fighters that would be deployed as backup. He just hoped his piloting skills would be enough.

The anti-air cannons erupted with gunfire, forcing Jet-Vac to take evasive action. Firing his Avian Razors at his targets, Jet-Vac watched as the razor-sharp projectiles cut through the guns like knives through butter. _Note to self._ He thought. _Thank Mags for upgrading the weapons systems._ This plan might not have been so stupid after all.

"Why aren't we getting him?" a troll gunner shouted in frustration, hands clenching the controls. A Goliath Drow, commander of the _Obliterator_ , stood up. "That ship is too evasive for our guns. Scramble the fighters!" he shouted as the hangar doors began to open. "Are the main cannons charged yet?" "Yes sir! Ready for bombardment." A Sentinel Doomlander reported. "Good. Fire on the lair!"

On the _Eon's Might_ , Cynder noticed that the Cannon Ships' guns were about to unleash their fury. The cannons launched back as explosive ammo shot out from their barrels, striking the abandoned houses, defenses and the visible sections of the lair. The impacts were so massive that Cynder guessed that even the underground portions weren't safe. When the smoke would clear, there would be nothing but ashes and embers. On the plus side, the last transport had just boarded, so everyone was safe.

Cynder headed down to the hangar area where a group of fighters were being prepped for the upcoming attack on the Cannon Ship. _The less of those things there are, the better._ Cynder thought. Stormblade would be leading the squadron, with the Sky Slicer equipped with the Twin Jet Turbos and Double Edge Hull, making it the perfect interceptor. As she approached Stormblade, the Sky Slicer's comms buzzed. "AA guns down! Stormblade, you may start your approach! Get those heavy-hitters over here!" "Copy that! Come on, Cynder!" Stormblade shouted as she hopped into her ship's cockpit. Cynder got into her pre-flight position when a message blared throughout the hangar. " _All fighters, prepare for launch. All fighters prepare for launch sequence."_ Last-minute checks were made as Imaginators raced towards white sky fighters with blue markings. _"Launch sequence initiated. Deploying in 3…2…1…"_ A green light shone, signaling the launch. The fighters raced out of the hangar, with Cynder taking flight right behind them.

"Alright squad, here's the plan." Stormblade announced as the Sky Slicer flew into formation. "We need to protect these bombers that the MDF sent us." The bombers, slow but heavily defended, were Mabu engineering, with metal on the outside and a bit of wood here and there. Each one was operated by an Imaginator team. "If they go down, the attack will fail, and we'll have to retreat. Besides, I don't suppose any of you have attempted an attack run on a Cannon Ship, so let's make it count."

"I copy, Stormblade." A fighter pilot confirmed. A bomber pilot spoke up. "Just get us to that behemoth, and we'll take care of the rest." The Sky Slicer's radar began to rapidly beep, catching Stormblade's attention. "Incoming fighters! Twelve o' clock!" someone shouted. Stormblade perked up, clenching the controls. "Everyone, look alive!"

The sky was lit up by laser fire, sky vehicles and fighters, and explosions. Stormblade weaved between enemy ships, the Twin Jet Turbos giving her the acceleration and maneuvering she needed. She squeezed down on a trigger, bringing up three red reticles that appeared separately with the words "TARGET LOCKED". She released, sending an arsenal of Pigeon Flock Missiles that struck the enemy fighters, sending them spiraling to the ground. Meanwhile, her comms were filled with the voices of other pilots.

"Enemy fighters at 2-10!"

"Form up!"

"They're everywh-AAGH!"

"Coming in!"

"Pull up! Now!"

"Accelerate to attack speed!"

"Mayday! Mayday! I'm going down!"

Ignoring the chatter, Stormblade remained focused on the ships targeting the bombers. One of them was already sinking, engulfed in flames. Cynder was spraying lightning everywhere and had even ripped off a fighter's wing by biting through the wiring. _Well, things happen when you have a dragon in the combat zone._ The comms buzzed again. It was Jet-Vac, joining in on the party.

"Their main cannons are recharging! They're targeting the capital ship!" "I know! We're almost there, Jet!" Stormblade shouted over the roar of combat while struggling to shake off the fighter on her tail. She managed to make her pursuer collide with another enemy fighter, but not before it launched a missile. Stormblade tracked the missile… and her heart sank when she realized its target.

With a deafening explosion, another bomber ignited in flames and sent debris everywhere, with one of the pieces striking another bomber. That meant only two were left. "Come on, come on." Stormblade muttered. "Just hang in there." Purple lasers streaked past her, reminding her about the fighters.

Even though enemy ships constantly battered one of the bombers with laser fire, it was not enough. The damaged bomber was unable to drop its supply due to structural integrity, but the other one released its load as soon as it was in position. "Woo! Bombs away!" a pilot cheered. The explosives punctured the _Obliterator_ 's hull while detonating inside, causing a chain reaction throughout the whole ship. Stormblade let out a triumphant cheer. "Good job, team! Now dock in the hangar and get back to the Academy! Our work here is done."

On the bridge of the _Conqueror_ , the crew was wide-eyed as the _Obliterator_ was reduced to a fiery heap and the enemy capital ship disappearing in the blink of an eye. All was silent. The hooded figure scowled beneath his shadowed face. Those foolish Skylanders were not to be underestimated. They were the only thing standing between Kaos and his domination of Skylands.

"Sir," a Drow announced, breaking the silence. "Lord Kaos is contacting you from his base." Without another word, the figure turned and headed to his chambers.

"So, we have good news and bad news." The hologram of Kaos stated. "Good news: We demolished the first-ever Portal Master lair. Bad news: the survivors escaped! And how could one of my mighty and awesome Cannon Ships of Doom be utterly destroyed?!" The figure stood from his kneeling position. "This is only a temporary setback, Lord Kaos. But our main goal is now clear. We must locate this 'Skylanders Academy', wherever it is, and raze it to the ground. When it falls, the Skylanders and every one of their allies fall with it. Then the war is as good as won, and Skylands will be yours."

"Yes, yes! And what of my new servants they still need to figure out?" Kaos boasted, rubbing his hands together. "Oh, you don't have to worry. Let us handle that personally…" The figure removed his hood, revealing a human face with purple veins and dark eyes. More human figures, residents of Earth, emerged from the darkness of the room, all with the same purple veins on their bodies and black and red clothing. They all bowed and spoke one word to Kaos as he began to slowly laugh evilly.

"…Master."


End file.
